


My dearest pet

by plopdropflop



Series: The stitches that make us one [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: But Jeno is into it, Dark, Jaemin is.... weird, Jeno is Jaemin's pet, Kind of a toxic relationship?, Loyalty Kink, Mafia NCT, Master/Pet, No Beta, No Smut, Open to Interpretation, Other, Power Dynamics, Power Imbalance, Power Play, Praise Kink, Torture, Trigger Warnings, Violence, or romance but, please read them!!, yes there is no smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:20:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25900501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plopdropflop/pseuds/plopdropflop
Summary: Lee Jeno, the organization's top graduate, with superhuman prowess and exceptional skill, untouchable and undefeatable.Lee Jeno, Na Jaemin's most polished weapon, his most prized possession, his most precious, beloved, pet.
Relationships: Lee Jeno & Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Series: The stitches that make us one [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1969990
Comments: 26
Kudos: 147





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a warning im not actually going to write any smut or makeout scenes bc i rlly,,, hate them. This actually kind of has a plot ddndj i dont really know what category it fits into, but it's written, and it's here.
> 
> tw's  
> \- graphic descriptions of violence, aftermath of torture described heavily  
> \- a lot of characters die lol,,, they're unimportant to the actual plot tho  
> \- Jaemin gets kissed a lot by creeps, it's part of his job but he doesn't like it v much  
> \- There is a serious power imbalance between nomin so if that makes you uncomfortable pls dont read
> 
> Be careful!!!

" _ Please,  _ I'll never do it again, please just —"

"I don't remember giving you permission to speak," Jaemin cuts in calmly, barrel of his gun trained steady against the forehead, shiny with sweat. Poor thing is trembling under his gaze, face unrecognisable, indistinguishable from the piles of mouldy trash surrounding them, a stark contrast from the once handsome features. What was once his hand is bloody and mangled, blood seeping out in waves. He would die of blood loss even if Jaemin didn't take the shot. 

He considers it, then slowly pulls the gun back. For a moment, there is hope alight in the pathetic wide eyes that stares up with him. 

Barely a second later, there is a shrill scream, as Jaemin's foot connects with his face, and the man collapses onto the ground, shaking like a rattle toy. Jaemin pays him no mind, frowning as he bends down to pick up the reflective object off the ground, one that was previously held in the now broken hand. 

Nothing a bit of cleaning couldn't fix. Shame that the same couldn't be said about his clothes. 

He ignores the cries next to him as he turns on his heels and leaves the alleyway, stolen ring clutched in his hand, and one less assistant by his side. 

* * *

Jaehyun stares up at him with exasperated eyes. "Again? Jaemin, seriously…"

Jaemin shrugs. It's not his fault he burns through his pets so fast. None of them ever live up to his expectations. Even the ones that don't dare act up — like the previous one somehow found the courage to do so — eventually disappoint him in some way. It's unfair, really. His hands get so dirty when there's no one besides him to help. 

"This better be the last one," Jaehyun relents with a sigh, reaching over to shuffle through the folders on his desk. He thumbs through a few pages, then pulls out a sheet and hands it to Jaemin. 

**Name: Lee Jeno**

**Age: 24**

**Parents: unknown**

**> Exceptional grades, physical ability, and mental restraint**

**> Loyal, hardworking, obedient **

**> Speciality: Hand-to-hand combat >Recommended class: Assassin**

**> Enrollment date: 07/09/18**

**> Estimated graduation: 12/11/20**

He raises an eyebrow, surprised. Most trainees are expected to go through a brutal five years of training before even being considered eligible to join the ranks of the actual organization. Two years is unheard of. 

Jaehyun laughs, taking note of his expression. "I knew you'd like him," he says, eyes twinkling when Jaemin finally tears his gaze away from the paper. "You can have him. He's too good to waste on anyone else anyways."

Jaemin nods slowly, warmth blooming in his chest. 

He's  _ excited.  _

* * *

  
He meets Lee Jeno on a sunny afternoon, after an exhausting all-nighter spent poring over the data he was meant to analyze. Truthfully, he's not really up to this, and he feels even less forgiving than usual as he makes his way to Neo Cafe, where they could meet without suspicion. 

The boy better be on his best behavior; Jaemin has no problem dirtying the floors. 

When he enters, he's not sure who to look for, the papers not coming with any description or pictures. There is a boy sitting in one corner, but other than that the place is empty, and Jaemin feels white-hot rage overtake him as he wonders if the boy was  _ late.  _

"E- excuse me? Sir?" A soft voice calls out, and Jaemin whips around to find the lone boy scrambling to his feet, dipping his head in a perfect 90 degree bow. 

Ah. He had forgotten this was a young one.

Now comes his favorite part. 

He walks over, slowly, observing to see any hint of fatigue or reluctance at having to hold the position for so long. When he finds none, he slowly reaches and tilts Jeno's chin with his fingers, lips curling into a smile when he finds that Jeno keeps his gaze rooted to the ground. 

"I hope you know I only allow my pets to speak if they've been asked to," he whispers, waiting to see what Jeno does.

His gaze remains fixed on the ground. He does not utter a word, not even an apology.

Pleased, Jaemin lets go. Much less bloodshed than he has expected; his first meetings rarely go well at all. No one has ever been up to his standards on the first day, and Jaemin has to slowly build them up to it, only to have his hard work completely trampled upon by one silly act of defiance anyways.

"You may look at me," he says, quiet in the empty room, but an order nonetheless. 

Jeno's eyes slowly move to meet his, and Jaemin is taken back by the pure innocence the gaze holds. Absent, is the hint of stubbornness or apathy he would find in his other pets, any positive feelings wrenched out of them ages ago. 

The same should apply to Jeno, yet it doesn't, and he still somehow graduated years and years earlier than the other trainees. What sets him apart, Jaemin wonders, taking in the open, sincere eyes that stare at him, unblinking. 

"Do you know what you're meant to do?" Jaemin inquires, maintaining eye contact, impressed at how steadily Jeno returns it. The previous ones would always falter, signs of weakness that Jaemin despised.

"Anything you ask of me," Jeno responds smoothly, and Jaemin can barely conceal the expression of wonder threatening to burst out. Clear and concise, just the way he liked it, as if the boy was bred specifically to meet Jaemin's needs. No wonder Jaehyun thought he would like him, this was going absolutely spectacular. 

Jaemin doesn't think Jeno deserves a smile, not just yet, but he stops the meeting there. Again, another difference, the past ones would last hours as Jaemin slowly broke through their defenses to make them submit to him. It's not necessary here. Not when Jeno is still bent over, despite the painful angle for his neck. Despite the strain his legs must be feeling. 

He turns on his heels and walks away.

He hides a smile when footsteps start behind him, exactly in time, exactly two paces behind. 

* * *

  
Jeno settles in easily, and when Jaemin pokes his head into the guestroom to check on him, it's to find that he has already unpacked everything and is flicking through a book. Jaemin leaves him alone after that; he allows them privacy, doesn't ever intrude into their rooms. 

He texts Jeno the schedule for the day. It's fairly easy, a lot of paperwork from the previous day's kill. It's boring stuff, one that Jaemin dislikes getting involved in, and he knows Jeno will too, if the reports he had read the previous night were true. 

_ An insatiable bloodlust _

It's especially intriguing because, by the looks of it, Jeno just seems… normal. Yes, he has a good build, strong limbs with thick muscles, good posture and a broad frame. But the way he looked at Jaemin, it spoke of a strange innocence, one that betrayed nothing about the horrors that supposedly lay within. 

Jaemin wonders if it's an elaborate ruse to catch him off guard. Even if he hadn't detected anything off — and he  _ knows  _ his personal radar is good, he has never been off about any assumption, any calculation — anyone who could bypass the strict graduation system of the organization was surely not any normal being. Despite the fact that they were sure to be discarded of any disobedience, Jaemin decides it's safer to be on guard.

No matter. If he ever tries anything, one bullet to the head was all it would take. 

* * *

  
Jaemin goes to bed and wakes without much issue. The house is dead silent, just the way he likes it. When he slowly slides out of the covers, he sees slippers laid out for him, a steaming mug of coffee within reach on the side table. Once again, he's amazed. His previous pets took much,  _ much,  _ longer to get accustomed to the idea that they were practically his personal maids before anything else.They found it was beneath them to do such tasks, and Jaemin had had to show them that the only thing beneath them was the dirt they walked on. They would have to  _ earn  _ the right to accompany him on actual jobs, to walk behind him as a partner. The ones that eventually did pass the mark were still so sloppy that Jaemin discarded of them along with his target of the day anyways.

He sips on the warm, bitter liquid as he walks out the room to head into the bathroom. He pauses in his steps when he notices Jeno, standing in the kitchen, looking lost. Like a little puppy, Jaemin thinks, amused. 

He looks like he wants to ask something, but is also struggling to convey it while looking away from Jaemin, so Jaemin walks towards him and sets his mug down on the counter. "Speak," he says, voice raspy, never the one for morning conversation.

This does not deter Jeno, and Jaemin is baffled to find that he's  _ smiling.  _ Jaemin doesn't remember the last time he's seen a smile that wasn't laced with hidden intentions. Something so genuine as that shouldn't exist in them, but Lee Jeno seems to be full of surprises. 

"I was wondering if you wanted breakfast? It wasn't on the chores list you sent me…" Jeno asks, keeping his voice low, and Jaemin hums. 

"I don't usually eat breakfast. But if you want something for yourself, you're free to use whatever is in the kitchen," Jaemin answers, bored of the conversation as he leaves his dirty mug behind to go and prepare for the day's job. Suddenly, he remembers something, and whirls around, catching Jeno off guard, and he has a moment of entertainment as Jeno tries his best to keep his gaze on the ground while pretending he wasn't staring at Jaemin. 

"Did you do the paperwork I assigned?" 

Jeno nods, "yes, sir," and he looks like he's about to say something else, before closing his mouth. 

Nothing unnecessary added to the replies he gave. Frankly, Jaemin didn't care where the papers were, as long as Jeno did them.

Perhaps the second day was too early, but Jaemin just can't hold back the urge, as he slowly walks over and runs his fingers through Jeno's hair. They're soft, silky, like he takes care of it regularly. He really was handsome. 

"Good boy," he coos. "You're doing so well."

He has to fight back a smile when Jeno's eyes widen. Before he loses his composure, he turns on his heels and walks away, leaving behind a flustered and flabbergasted assassin.

* * *

When Jaemin leaves his room, he's dressed in a very,  _ very  _ low cut v-neck tucked into tight black jeans, hair slicked back and neck adorned with a shining pendant dangling from a silver chain. It doesn't escape his notice that Jeno does a double take in his peripheral, and his mouth curls into a smile as his hands find the doorknob. 

He leaves without saying anything. He's still not convinced Jeno deserves any form of casual pleasantries. 

The job that night is one of the more boring ones; meet up with an old man, pretend to get into his pants, and kill him. There is stolen paperwork in the man's house, and Jaemin is tasked with retrieving it. He has a tried and tested method for it, so used to this play that he's already functioning on auto-pilot.

The restaurant they're meeting at is one of the disgustingly expensive ones, with sky high columns and shimmering gold chandeliers. It's fairly silent, only the sound of glasses clinking and hushed whispers of the scattered couples within. Jaemin notices that the man is already there, dressed in an expensive red suit, his sad clump of hair combed back. He's already eyeing Jaemin with a predatory look, one that Jaemin is too accustomed to receiving. On instinct, he puts a sway in his hips as he walks, slow and steady, giving the man enough time to leer at his body.

Jaemin  _ knows  _ he looks good. The tight belt he wears makes his waist look extra tiny, the jeans fit snug enough to accentuate the length of his legs, and his collarbones are on full display. He has left little to the imagination, and he can see already that the man is becoming impatient to tear the clothes off of him. 

Still. Jaemin is always the one to set the pace. The man — Mr. Gyo, he remembers, from the case file he had skimmed over, disinterested — would have to wait. 

The conversation is hard to push, mostly because Gyo has his eyes trained squarely on Jaemin's exposed chest the entire time. Jaemin feels repulsed, both by the shamelessness and the fact that he was being stared  _ at  _ instead of _ staring.  _ He disliked this particular part of jobs for this very reason, the flip of power he would have to do just to get them to break their walls. 

He vows to take his sweet time with the man tonight. 

Eventually, when the wine is drunk and the food is eaten, Jaemin flutters his eyelashes — covered in glitter, making them seem longer and bolder than they already are — and he sees the way Gyo looks ready to  _ pounce.  _

"Let's go back to yours," Jaemin purrs, as Gyo pays the bills for the both of them. The eagerness of the response always makes him want to laugh. 

There is a hand placed on his thighs on the drive there. That's one limb Jaemin will take extra time with. 

Of course — Gyo lives in a penthouse, one that looks over the city skyline, a beautiful view that Jaemin almost feels bad to taint. There are picture frames and vases everywhere, but it seems almost… theatrical. Empty. No heart or soul in it.

Perhaps he's being biased. Jaemin himself prefers the quiet comfort of his small apartment; he doesn't find much joy in material possessions unless they are living, breathing creatures.

"You have a lovely house," Jaemin whispers, sultry, inviting, as his shirt begins to slip off his shoulders. 

He's thrown against wall almost immediately. There are lips on his, chapped and tasting like smoke. Jaemin wonders what he can do with those. Perhaps slit through the mouth, all the way up to his cheeks? Or cut off the lips altogether, until there is nothing but teeth left? 

The charade goes on a bit too long for his liking. He taps Gyo's side, hoping the man would release, but when he doesn't, he finds the familiar rage begin to overtake him. 

He starts with a knife to the side. 

He finishes with a beautiful carving of a man; skinless, eyeless, with no limbs attached. Nothing to leer at Jaemin with, nothing to touch him with. 

He can't pause to admire his work, unfortunately. He has to find the stolen papers and get out of here. Jeno should arrive soon; to clean up the mess he has made.

When he enters the bedroom however, his heart drops. 

It's empty.

Devoid of  _ anything,  _ no furniture, no tiles, nothing. He realizes, with growing horror that it was a  _ trap,  _ that the decorations outside  _ were  _ performative. They must've bought an unfinished penthouse to lead him here, how could he have been so  _ careless?  _

His grip on his knife tightens.

It's too late. The door hurls open and he finds himself staring into the barrel of five guns. His heart rate skyrockets. He was unstoppable against anything else, but  _ guns?  _

"Drop your weapon, Na. We'll take you back to our base, but you need to be on your best behavior."

Jaemin doesn't think he's ever felt this enraged in his life.  _ How dare they? _ Order  _ him  _ around, in that tone of voice, calling him by his  _ name?  _ His mind whirls with ideas of what he'll do to them when he gets the chance and his fingers twitch, but for now, he knows when he's defeated. 

It'll be worth it, in the long run. That's how his jobs always go, isn't it? He gives them the illusion of control, and he waits, and when the time comes, he takes back twice of what they took from him. 

But then, something catches his eye, and he realizes it won't be necessary. Not here. 

Jeno is staring at him through the doorway, hidden and silent as snow, waiting for orders. 

Jaemin gives the slightest of nods.

And what happens next, he never could've predicted. 

Like a puppet cut from its strings, the body closest to the door just  _ drops,  _ Jeno appearing where he stood in what felt like a fraction of a second. The thump of the body is loud as it hits the ground, but Jeno doesn't give them any time to react, picking the gun off the floor and shooting the next two guys square between the eyes. In a smooth movement, he whirls around and executes a beautiful round-house kick to the fourth one's face, and grapples with the fifth — the leader — to knock the gun away from his hands. 

All in the blink of an eye.

"Jeno, stop," Jaemin says, staring at the leader with a hard gaze. He wants this one, wants to tie him up in the spare room of his apartment and keep him there for as long as he can. Of course, he must get answers out of him, but with what Jaemin has in mind for him, he doesn't think that would be a problem at all. 

Another thing is how  _ fast _ Jeno had stopped when Jaemin asked him to. His posture is rigid as he has his knees pressed on the leader's back, arms held in Jeno's hand at a painful angle, one twist away from snapping. It's here that Jaemin notices that Jeno is trembling. 

_ An insatiable bloodlust.  _

And Jaemin just tore a kill away from him. He is feeling a bit kind, however, so he says,"you can break his arm."

The snap that follows is instantaneous and glorious to hear. The scream even more so. 

"Knock him out for me, tie him up, and bring him back to the apartment. You still have to clean up everything," Jaemin says, eyeing Jeno's reaction, for any sign of reluctance, of defiance. 

What he finds instead, is the same strange look in the kitchen, and  _ oh.  _ He wants  _ approval.  _

Too bad Jaemin has expended all his kindness for the day. He catches sight of blood on his sleeves; another shirt ruined. Suddenly, he feels particularly cruel. 

"Look at the mess you've made. I'm disappointed," Jaemin says. He pauses to see Jeno's face crumple, one again, amazed by the earnestness the boy exhibits, almost laughing at how comedic it seems that mere words can do so much to someone who had just killed four people without a sweat.

* * *

Jeno, to his credit, cleans up the place extremely well and brings the unconscious body tied up securely to be hidden in Jaemin's spare room. He seems to want to ask something, and Jaemin allows it, too curious for his own good. He's surprised to hear Jeno request Jaemin allow him to take up more training times. Jaemin complies, delighted that Jeno took his words to heart, wondering how he could improve beyond the skill level he's exhibiting even now. Jaemin wonders if the genetic modification trials the organization had been running were successful, and if Jeno had been one of the specimens.

Jeno continues to do all his paperwork and chores diligently. He's still quiet and obedient, keeps his head low and eyes on the ground whenever he's in Jaemin's presence, and speaks in short answers. Despite the concerningly long hours he spends at the training facilities, he does not show any sign of exhaustion, only silent determination. The only real difference now is that Jeno wolfs down food faster than Jaemin has ever seen, messy. It would've gotten on Jaemin's nerves had Jeno not cleaned everything spotless afterwards. 

All in all, Jeno was an absolutely perfect pet. Submissive, compliant, and dutiful. 

The only thing left is his loyalty. 

How far would Jeno go for Jaemin? 

* * *

The answer comes the next weekend, after Jaemin has confirmed to himself that Jeno was performing satisfactorily. He tells Jeno to accompany him on a mission; similar to the last one except Jaemin is required to bring a plus one to be allowed in. It's a party of sorts, the kind only rich men go to with their trophy wives, to gossip about sales and business with barely hidden ulterior motives. 

There is one man, Seokhyun, that is attending the party. Through extensive play-time with the leader of the group that had tried to abduct Jaemin, he had figured out that Seokhyun was the one who leaked the information about the whereabouts of their base in the first place. How he knew that information, the leader refused to tell, but it doesn't matter. He will break, eventually. Under Jaemin's skilled fingers and extensive medical knowledge, they all do. 

Jeno is dressed in a black suit, absolutely stunning, hair newly dyed red under Jaemin's orders. Jaemin himself wears something similar, unused to all the material covering his frame as his jobs usually involve him wearing as less as possible. Fortunately, or unfortunately, seduction wouldn’t work tonight as Seokhyun was exclusively into women, and Jaemin didn’t want to take the risk with a potential audience nearby. They would have to get him into an isolated room and kill him, and he thinks he’ll have Jeno do it, just to see if his kills could get any less messy. If the training sessions have done anything to help, or if they were just a waste of time.

"You may have to engage in small talk with me so we can blend in. Until the end of the night, I'm giving you permission to speak freely to me, when necessary," Jaemin says, though he is displeased with the notion, and there is a glint in his eyes that warns Jeno not to push his limits.

"Yes, sir," is all Jeno says until they arrive.

The car stops in front of a bustling mansion, a beautiful white, accentuated by well-maintained shrubs and flowers decorating the entrance. Vines wrapped around the huge, open gates, tall guards standing in front, to give way to an enormous fountain. It practically dripped in riches, and Jaemin finds it hard to keep his face neutral.

Jaemin exits first, and takes Jeno’s hand in his, walking towards the guards with a stoic expression and forged invitations clutched in relaxed hands. They are allowed in easily, and if the outside looked expensive, then the inside was extortionate. Diamonds encrusted various chandeliers hanging precariously on the ceilings, illuminating the spacious rooms and giving the scrumptious looking food a shiny glaze. Jaemin sees the way Jeno’s stare lingers at the plates of food, but he pulls him in warning, and Jeno’s attention snaps back.

“Try to find him, and pull on my arm when you do.”

They walk, hand-in-hand, and though Jaemin is unused to any of his pets being beside him rather than behind him, he shows no sign of discomfort. Jeno is a warm presence anyways; not that Jaemin would ever admit it, but crowds always make him a bit queasy and uneasy. 

There is a tug on his sleeve, and Jaemin follows Jeno’s gaze until he too spots the man with auburn hair with a woman wrapped around his arm. He is tall, enough so that Jaemin is wary about fighting him, but he supposes that's why he has his guard dog with him. 

"I— I think…" Jeno begins, gulping when Jaemin's eyes whip towards him, but he doesn't falter. "I think you can lead the woman away from him. I don't… I don't think that's his partner. See? She has a ring on her finger, but he doesn't. She'll probably drop him for you anyday." 

Jaemin tries to see what Jeno is pointing at, but finds that they are too far away for him to notice such a miniscule detail. They really must have used Jeno as a trial run for their experiments, if his eyesight was anything to go by.

He licks his lips, steeling himself for what was to come. "I'll lead her away then. You will lure him into an empty room and kill him. Keep it quiet, and keep it  _ clean.  _ He should have a stolen flash drive on him — take it, and keep it safe until I return," he instructs, eyeing the woman as she flits around with him.

Leaving Jeno behind, he slowly makes his way towards the table where the "couple" is talking to each other. He gets himself a glass of champagne and pretends to sip on it, leaning against a wall as if he has no one with him, making sure to jut his hip out. 

The woman's eyes fly to him.

Bingo.

It's smooth sailing from there. The woman - Xing Jia - excuses herself to pour herself a drink, and Jaemin eyes her heavily, hoping she would take the hint. As expected, she saunters over to him, and introduces herself in a pleasant, lilting voice. Jaemin plays along, and in his periphery he notices Jeno begin to walk over Seokhyun, distracting him. Jaemin takes this as his cue to lead her away, and he asks her if she wishes to stargaze with him. She agrees immediately, and they walk away with inter-linked hands, and Jaemin can only hope that Jeno was doing what he was meant to.

The next fifteen minutes are tortuous. Outwardly, he shows no sign of restlessness or discomfort, but inside, he is a knot of anxiety. He knows Jeno is good at being quiet; their apartment only has hushed sounds of footsteps, and the day at the penthouse, Jaemin hadn’t even heard Jeno until he appeared right behind them. Still, his kills, efficient and brutal as they were, left too much bloodshed. It’s not good for assassinations like this. 

If the extra training Jeno was doing proved to be useless, Jaemin is sure his spare room has some extra space left over to teach him a little lesson. It’s kind, honestly, because he never would’ve even considered such treatment for any of his previous pets. A mistake by them during a job was a death sentence. Jeno would only get out of it with temporary injuries; Jaemin has built quite a soft spot for his new puppy after seeing the extent of his discipline. 

After he deems enough time has passed, he excuses himself to the restroom and heads towards the only opening the room has, sans the front door. It leads into an empty hallway, the sounds of the party muffled and dissociated, and he is on edge as he walks through.

Through the door to his right, he hears a muffled grunt. He spins on his heels immediately, bursting in, blood freezing when he takes the sight in front of him.

Jeno is on the ground, his arm twisted behind his back by Seokhyun, the flash drive clattered onto the ground within arms reach. Jaemin's entry causes both of them to halt their struggle, and  _ again, _ Jaemin finds a gun pointed at his face. 

"Don't move," Seokhyun grits out, but Jaemin can barely hear him over the pounding in his head. 

How has Jeno been overpowered? Jaemin didn't keep him around to be  _ useless.  _ He had placed his trust in him, and look where it led him. 

He can feel the weight of the knife hidden in his jacket. He stares at the gun, notices that the safety is still on. 

An idea pops into his head. He stares at Jeno, who's still struggling against the iron grip holding him down. The flash drive is barely within his reach. Jaemin knows if he himself tries to retrieve it, Seokhyun could potentially kill the both of them. He needs to take him off guard. 

"Jeno, look at me," he says, voice devoid of emotion despite the disappointment clouding his brain. 

Jeno does, snapping to attention immediately, gazing at Jaemin with fearful eyes. This was the organization's best? Jaemin felt as if he was handed left-overs on a paper plate. 

There is only one thing Jeno can do to even semi-redeem himself in Jaemin's eyes. 

"Take the flash drive," Jaemin says, and waits patiently for the realization. Waits for the moment Jeno would realize reaching for the flash drive meant dislocating his entire arm, possibly breaking it if Seokhyun reacted fast enough — which, judging by his angered expression, he was very likely to do. 

Jaemin does not have to wait for very long, not because Jeno denies his request, but rather the opposite. With a blood-curdling  _ pop _ he hurls himself at the object and curls his fist around it, expression wrenching in pain as his arm dislocates at the shoulder for good, and Seokhyun, in his surprise, sends Jeno toppling to the ground. 

Jaemin could've helped out, but he's feeling vindictive, and he only steps forward to grab the gun out of Seokhyun's hands, training it on the man's head. He looks at Jeno, slumped on the ground, and orders, "Finish the job."

Jeno is trembling when he gets up, but he makes his way on unsteady legs, and full-body slams Seokhyun to the ground. He shoves his knee on the man's neck, leans his entire body weight against it, effectively crushing his throat.

It's a fairly clean kill, though there are splatters of blood on his mouth, and any other day, Jaemin would've been proud. 

Today, however, he merely stares at Jeno in disdain. He feels no sympathy when Jeno cradles his arm. It's a sure sign of loyalty, the absolute lack of hesitation Jeno carried the task out with, but he's still angered by the fact that Jeno got knocked down in the first place. It doesn't matter whether Seokhyun was taller or broader; any top graduate should've been able to deal with it. 

Jaemin takes Jeno's search for approval and discards it without thought. He spits on Jeno's face, displeased at his performance, reminding him that he failed to obey his commands. Jeno takes it without flinching, but his face falls.

"This was not what I expected from you. You have  _ one  _ more chance before I have your neck slit," Jaemin hisses out, contempt dripping in every word. "And we're back to our original rules from here onwards. Leave the body, we have to go." 

The body would have to be found. He trusts Jaehyun would erase any trace to Jaemin, either by bribery or blackmail. Jaemin doesn't care, as long as he doesn't have to deal with the aftermath. 

* * *

  
Jaemin's anger towards Jeno simmers when Jeno disappears for  _ more  _ training sessions, and on their next job, he doesn't even give the woman time to blink before he snaps her neck, clean, quick, and effective. 

Jeno searches for approval during times like this, and Jaemin enjoys dangling it in front of his face and jerking it out of his grasp when he gets too close. It's a fun game, but Jaemin knows there's more entertainment to be found by actually giving Jeno what he wants. 

So he does. He walks towards Jeno, taking his time, and orders, "Kneel."

Jeno obeys immediately, dropping to his knees, keeping his head lowered. It's such a  _ beautiful  _ sight, this superhuman boy who could snap Jaemin in half with a finger, relinquishing all his control, all his dignity into Jaemin's hands. He's so docile here, such a wild contrast from the ruthless killer he was painted as, completely at his mercy. 

"Look at me," Jaemin whispers, and Jeno's head snaps up, revealing those pure black eyes, so  _ trusting _ , so unquestioning.

Jaemin reaches out to run his hands through Jeno's hair, taking his time to lightly scratch his nails against his scalp, trailing his hands down to Jeno's jaw and cupping his cheek. 

"Good boy," he murmurs, and Jeno  _ preens.  _

* * *

  
Jeno improves, by leaps and bounds, and it gets to a point where he's genuinely untouchable. Jaemin doesn't even have to do anything; he simply hangs back and lazily directs Jeno like an attack dog he carries around. Jeno takes extra care to ensure blood never splatters on Jaemin, that the Jaemin that walks out looks the exact same as the Jaemin that walked in. Not a single hair can be out of place, for Jaemin is sadistic enough to punish Jeno for it if he's having a bad day. 

Anyone who tries to get close to Jaemin ends up with broken necks and crushed windpipes. Jaemin is ecstatic at this new development; Jeno is almost  _ possessive  _ over him, and it makes Jaemin coo every time, because really, who was in charge here?

Which is why he finds it funny to make Jeno accompany him to one of his more regular missions. He's clad in a similar outfit from last time, and this time, he puts extra care into his makeup to look as  _ soft  _ as possible. He sees the way Jeno drools at him, and he laughs, condescending, as he calls him a dumb dog. Jeno accepts insults like Jaemin handed him food on a golden platter, looking as if he's been handed a gift from the heavens, and Jaemin decides that he'd rather have that look directed at him than at the ground. 

"Jeno, you don't need my permission to look at me anymore," he says, off-handedly, and Jeno blanches. His eyes meet Jaemin's, wide and pleading, and Jaemin  _ knows  _ he wants the freedom to speak whenever he wants, but Jaemin isn't kind enough to give it to him yet. 

"If you behave tonight… not a  _ single  _ sound from you, I might consider letting you speak as well," Jaemin whispers, alluring as he places his index finger on Jeno's lips. He leans forward enough that his loose shirt begins to slip from his shoulders, and he knows his chest is on full display. Jeno is struggling to maintain eye contact, and Jaemin grins, pleased at the effect he has on him.

Jaemin pulls back slowly, a trail of saliva between his fingers and Jeno's lips, and he smiles, mocking. He doesn't have to say anything for Jeno to know what he's thinking, and the newfound eye contact is enough to convey what Jaemin wants to say. 

_ Just a dumb dog. _

* * *

The dinner goes well, Jeno seated on a table nearby with Renjun — who had decided to accompany after hearing the conditions Jaemin had listed for Jaemin, amused by the idea. Jeno was essentially entertainment to them both, and Jaemin ups his normal flirtatious behavior a notch, to try and rile his puppy up. The man he's with — Yamada Ai — stares at him, lustful and predatory. Jaemin tries his best to look as  _ small  _ as possible, rubbing his thighs together, intertwining his fingers and looking away shyly. He knows the man is aroused, and he can only wonder how Jeno must be feeling. 

There's no one at the restaurant but them. Jaemin has an inkling that Renjun must have had something to do with it — he must remember to thank him later. Ai takes advantage of the lack of audience, leaning in to capture Jaemin's lips before their food can even arrive. It's surely going too fast for Jaemin's taste, especially considering the man is going to end up with a knife to his heart, but he goes with it to test Jeno's reaction. 

When Ai's hand sneaks under the table to grasp at Jaemin's thighs, a whimper breaks out from Jeno. Quiet, but Jaemin is trained to hear even the slightest noises, and he smirks. He moves to stand up, ignoring Ai's confused noise that morphs into a scream as Jaemin jams a fork into his eye. He grabs a fistful of the man's hair and slams his head down onto the table, glass smashing everywhere, including onto his own hand, and the body slumps to the floor. Not dead yet, but unconscious. 

He turns to face Jeno, who looks horrified — not because of the sudden attack, but rather his own inability to follow an order. Renjun looks absolutely gleeful, clapping his hands together at the show.

"Injunnie," Jaemin whines, pouting at his former classmate. "Can you take care of the body for me? Leave him at my doorstep, alive?"

Renjun laughs. "Don't you already have someone tied up? Got bored of him?"

Jaemin shrugs. The nameless leader had eventually succumbed to sepsis, Jaemin too lazy to clean up his wounds for him. He wasn't really a screamer, nor was he a crier, and Jaemin had gotten tired of him quick. He had Jeno dispose of the body, and the spare room lies empty once more. 

Until today, that is. 

Renjun agrees to his request, on the basis that he gives him full details of what he's about to do to Jeno. Jaemin laughs, agreeing easily, and he snaps his fingers in front of his face, calling Jeno to attention. Jeno scrambles to get up, standing in front of Jaemin with his head hanging low, despite being allowed to freely look at him now.

Jaemin coos, patronising, "is my puppy sad that he couldn't follow a basic order? Worried what I'll do to you? Maybe hang you upside down? Deprive you of food and water? Remove your fingers, one by one?"

Jeno gulps, and Jaemin smiles. "Or how about we have fun with —" he gestures to Ai's slumped form "— that? And if you perform satisfactorily, I'll let you off the hook, and you can speak to me whenever you please." 

Jeno nods fervently, well aware of what Jaemin's idea of fun entailed. A  _ lot _ of screaming and a  _ lot  _ of blood. Jaemin enjoys the process of torturing his victims, but he thinks he would enjoy watching just as much. If Jeno learns properly, then not only would he be unstoppable, but Jaemin himself would be getting the best of both worlds. 

He ruffles Jeno's hair. "Prove to me you're a good boy, yeah?"

* * *

Needless to say, Jeno performs extremely well, and Jaemin is feeling  _ extremely  _ generous, so not only does he give Jeno permission to speak to him, he also gives Jeno permission to call him by  _ name.  _

Or rather, a nickname. 

"Jaemin is a bit… too much, but I wouldn't mind a nickname. What do you think, pup?" 

Jeno nods, eager to agree with anything Jaemin says. 

"What about Nana?" Jeno asks, suddenly shy, peering up at Jaemin through thick lashes. Jaemin laughs, wants to say  _ no  _ just to see the way the expression would fall, but it's too cute for even him to destroy. 

"Sure. Nana it is then."

* * *

  
  


Slowly, Jeno begins to unlock more and more privileges. It begins with little things, like him telling Jaemin about his day, or him personally waking Jaemin up. It escalates, when Jaemin begins to wake up to Jeno in his bed, when Jeno throws himself on Jaemin's lap, demanding affection, when Jeno whines whenever Jaemin doesn't give him attention. 

Normally, Jaemin wouldn't tolerate this behavior at all. But it's  _ Jeno,  _ officially his longest lasting pet, and Jaemin perhaps has a soft spot for him. He indulges Jeno's needs, because at the end of the day, it's him who benefits from everything. His reputation skyrockets, and soon, people know not to specifically fuck with Na Jaemin, because his attack dog will tear their throats out without hesitation. It only takes a snap of a finger, Jeno at his beck and call every second of the day.

The only time Jaemin does anything anymore is during his regular jobs; he still enjoys the slow, satisfying process of getting under their skin, both metaphorically and literally. Sometimes, he drags Jeno along with him, ordering the puppy to stay quiet, rewarding him with pets and forehead kisses when he obeys. 

Jaemin still enjoys the control he has over Jeno, occasionally using him as a footrest or insulting him to his face. Jeno accepts all that Jaemin gives him, whether it be loving touches or repulsed words. Jeno is always so, so pliant to his needs that Jaemin can't help but melt either way. There's no stubbornness, no shame in Jeno, only a readiness to  _ give.  _

Eventually though, things start to go  _ too  _ well, and as always, it shatters. 

It happens one Sunday night, the first time that Jeno ever outright disobeys him.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ TW'S!!!
> 
> \- Graphic descriptions of violence  
> \- Mentions of torture  
> \- A lot of death  
> \- A very very brief allusion to necrophilia but its a blink and you'll miss it moment  
> \- Nomin is a very morally ambiguous relationship  
> \- If at any point you are uncomfortable, please click away
> 
> Please, if you are unable to separate fiction from reality and/or are unable to read fiction of things you would never condone in real life, click away!! Please! No harm done at all !

"Nanaaaa..." Jeno whines, voice muffled with his face buried in Jaemin's lap. "Are you still looking over that?" 

Jaemin clicks his tongue, fingers leaving the mouse as he looks down at his attention-seeking puppy, whose knees must surely be hurting with how long he's been trying to pull Jaemin away from his work. He cards a hand through Jeno's hair absent-mindedly, eyes trained on the screen of his laptop as he tries to make sense of all the data that's been compiled. 

"Nanaaaa...." Jeno tries again, hands darting out to grip the legs of Jaemin's chair, shaking it slightly. 

Jaemin sighs, hands stilling before leaving Jeno's head to rest on his desk. "You're getting awfully brave now. I'm busy, Jeno, at least make yourself useful." 

Jeno huffs, realizing nothing is going to stop Jaemin, and he slowly retracts his head and pushes past Jaemin's legs, crawling under his desk to curl up on the tiled floor. He nudges at Jaemin's ankles with his hips, until Jaemin stretches his legs to rest on Jeno's stomach. He makes sure to dig his heels in a little too hard — call it a mild retribution for disturbing his works. 

Jaemin had initially found this arrangement to be extremely amusing, for there should be no way Jeno would actually enjoy it right? Of course, as with all things Jeno, he had severely underestimated him again, and he had found out that Jeno rather likes sleeping on the floor with Jaemin's heels leaving imprints on his skin.

Jaemin wonders if the organisation trainers would be offended by the way he treats Jeno. Their most prized graduate, polished and perfect, and here Jaemin is, using him as a footrest.

He tears his attention away from Jeno — tapping away on his phone, lips parted in concentration and face adorably scrunched up — to stare back at his screen. Through a lot of his jobs, and a lot of his playtimes, combined with the data the rest of the organization members collected, there's a strange trend present where most of their jobs line up to the days where their base mysteriously gets power cuts. 

And considering their jobs — Jaemin, Donghyuck, and Renjun's— usually take place during formal events, that means someone is planning those events specifically to lure them away from the base. 

Jaemin's apartment, relatively far from the base, remains untouched. However, the remaining two who live in the dorms with their collectively adopted babies — Chenle and Jisung — found random belongings gone missing, the security feed either looped or taken down. 

The obvious conclusion is there's a serious information leak somewhere in the organization, but Jaemin still has to find out where.

"Nana, your phone is ringing," Jeno's half-awake voice calls out, and when Jaemin looks down, it's to find large black eyes staring back at him. 

Ah, fuck. He'll never be immune to that look.

"Go get it for me, pup," he says, despite not hearing the aforementioned noise. Jeno's senses are sensitive well beyond human capacity, and Jaemin finds it especially useful even outside of their jobs. 

When Jeno shuffles out and returns, Jaemin finds that Donghyuck is the one who's been texting him. Usually, Jaemin leaves him on read, but he feels he deserves a break today. 

**Donghyuck**

Minnieeee… ur on ur laptop aren't uuu

Junnies already going thru the data

You won't have to worryyy 

They'll probably give u a mission soon anyways, to find someone u can wiggle info out of (*´∀`*)

Invite me this time >:(

Minnieeeee reply to meee

The babies are still asleep i have like thirty minutes b4 they start bossing me around ಥ-ಥ

**Jaemin**

It's literally 8am can u not

**Donghyuck**

HE LIVES!!! Good morning darling get off ur laptop

**Jaemin**

I was going to, but now that you've asked…

**Donghyuck**

NOOOOO

Humor me baby （￣へ￣）

Our little devil spawns will wake up soon

Y do they take after u >:(

Ur the WORST influence

**Jaemin**

Sucks for you

**Donghyuck**

Just bc i dont have a pet 2 do everything for me

minnie u stink 

Jisung makes me cook breakfast 👎🏼

**Jaemin**

Aww my little sungie <33 

Give him a big kiss from me xoxo

**Donghyuck**

NOO!!! Make him STOP

**Jaemin**

Its not like they dont take after you guys either

Chenle tracked Jeno's number and keeps sending him pictures of me :|

**Donghyuck**

LMAOOOO

Its karma jaemin

BxBXDJKS THEYRE AWAKE

LOVE U MY MINNIE

RENJUN WILL GIVE U UPDATES SOON

TAKE A BREAK, TAKE UR DOG ON A WALK

The green dot next to Donghyuck's name disappear, and Jaemin sighs, fond. Next to him, Jeno bristles, the way he does every time Jaemin shows any form of positive affection towards anyone. 

Jaemin laughs, amused by Jeno's possessiveness, He reaches over, pats Jeno’s cheeks once, before walking towards the door, stretching. 

“Let’s go out. Ice cream?”

Jeno nods, enthusiastic as always to everything he says. He still walks behind Jaemin, despite having permission to do otherwise. He prefers to keep his owner in sight at all times, following him wherever he goes. 

Walks on sunny days like this can get a bit overwhelming for Jeno - an unfortunate side effect of the enhanced senses. He usually puts on sunglasses, earplugs, and a cap, joking that he finally looks the part of a secret agent trying to look unsuspicious.

He also likes to grab onto Jaemin's shirt, and it's a test of resolve every time for Jaemin, because he wants nothing more than to melt on spot, infinitely endeared by his puppy who's so  _ soft _ , yet so deadly. 

The ice cream shop is situated just a short walk away from their apartment — Jaemin will vehemently deny renting out the place specifically because it is such a short distance away from the shop, but deep down, he knows it's true. What's the point of having money, after all, if you don't indulge yourself a little. 

Jeno gets his usual order of pistachio — double scoop, chocolate sauce drizzled on top and sprinkles generously decorating everything. Under the unforgiving heat of the evening sun, it drips down his hands, and Jaemin laughs at the contrast between his clean, efficient kills without a single drop of blood out of place and how messy his eating habits are. 

Upon noticing Jaemin didn't order anything, Jeno offers his cone to him, but Jaemin only reaches down and kisses his hands, sweet and sticky from the ice cream. Jeno flusters, as he always does when Jaemin is even a little bit affectionate with him, and Jaemin turns around to hide his smile. 

Tomorrow, they would have to leave for another job, but until then, he has no problem enjoying the time he has left.

* * *

**Renjun**

He's the short one

W the beard

The one opposite to ur type

**Jaemin**

Very eloquent description 

**Renjun**

Stop trying 2 be smart, that's my job

Jaemin rolls his eyes and pockets his phone, looking around the exhibit half-heartedly. The art on display surely is nice, but it's never been something that piqued his interest. The only "art" in his apartment are crudely drawn stick figures that a much younger Jisung had given him when he had moved out — still taped onto the fridge, they're a source of constant fond teasing for their youngest. 

Sometimes, Jaemin catches Jeno staring at the pieces of paper with an adorable frown, probably trying to match the innocence of the drawings to the brutal assassin Jisung has morphed into. Jaemin wonders if Jeno realizes that he's the same; exterior giving away nothing about what lies within.

He's snapped out of his thoughts by a tug on his sleeves, and he finds Jeno staring straight ahead at something Jaemin can't see.

"Found our target?" 

Jeno nods, licking his lips, eyes sharp the way they always are when he’s focusing on something. Jaemin gives a slight tip of his head, and that’s all Jeno needs to start moving forward.

Once Jaemin catches sight of the man - Wonshik Lee, they split, and Jeno goes to mingle with the crowd of a nearby painting. Jaemin morphs his expression into his best “I’m not rich enough to be here, so I don’t know what’s going on, hence I will be an easy target” look, and he hunches in on himself before walking towards the man, projecting an air of uncertainty around him. 

Wonshik's eyes snap towards him, and Jaemin sees the smirk he tries to suppress. He feels disgust wash over him, but he doesn't let it deter the character that he's playing. 

"E- excuse me sir?" Jaemin stutters out, avoiding eye contact. 

"Oh hello there. Are you lost?" Wonshik coos out, borderline patronising, and Jaemin finds himself envisioning slicing his tongue off into neat little strips, until the only sound that can come out is screams. 

Outwardly, he nods, meek and shy, and Wonkshik’s lips curl into a smile. Jaemin has to give him props for being a good actor; however, in a game where they’re both playing a character, he’ll be sure to emerge the victor. 

“Why don’t you come with me?” Wonshik asks, eyes trailing down Jaemin’s figure when he thinks Jaemin doesn’t notice. Jaemin can’t help but want to chuckle; Jeno - watching from afar - would  _ not  _ be happy with the look.

Wonshik takes his hand and leads him through the crowd of pompous, overdressed guests and takes him into what appears to be a closed-off section of the exhibit. An empty room, and within it lies an enormous painting, spanning half the width of a wall. 

“I know the owner, he won’t mind. Let’s take a breather here, from the crowd,” Wonshik says, slowly edging closer to Jaemin, and Jaemin stays rooted in place. He shifts restlessly when an arm winds around his waist, trying to project an air of hidden excitement. 

“After all,” his voice whispers in Jaemin’s ear, “No one can see us here.”

That’s a lie, Jeno - currently hiding behind a pillar - can absolutely see them, and Jaemin can already envision the bitter, envious look he must have on his face. Jaemin can also envision the cuddling he would have to endure when he goes back home, Jeno too stubborn to let him go until he stops smelling like whoever he was with.

Still, Jaemin allows himself to be pushed against a wall, his mind switching to auto-pilot to work through this tired and tested routine. He grasps at Wonshik's hips, slowly slipping his fingers into the pocket to feel for anything that could be of use. 

Wonshik must take this as a sign of eagerness, for he deepens the kiss, and wall begins to press uncomfortably into Jaemin's back. 

His fingers brush against something rectangular.

Bingo. 

He raises his hand and brings a finger up, a sign for Jeno to be on standby. 

Wonshik pulls away, gasping for breath. He stares into Jaemin's eyes, gaze clouded and lips red. Jaemin stares back, panting, trying to look equally as affected. 

Arms wind around his shoulders. 

There's a press of cold metal on his neck. 

Jaemin jerks wildly, pulling the wrist away from his neck forcibly, but he's swept off the floor by a kick to his shin. He pulls Wonshik down with him, and the security card in Wonshik's pocket clatters to the side. 

With horror, Jaemin realizes that Jeno has stepped out from his hiding place, eyes narrowed and features contorted into a terrifying frown.

He tries to bring his fingers up, all five of them, a sign to  _ stop _ but Jeno keeps walking forward. 

The metal presses into his skin. He feels the sharp sting of a shallow cut, and takes in a deep breath. If Jeno wouldn't stop then… 

"Go grab the card!" He hisses out, and Wonshik whirls around at the sign of another presence. The knife presses deeper, and Jaemin stops struggling. If Jeno could grab the card, Wonshik wouldn't have time to deal with Jaemin and would lunge for Jeno instead, leaving him open for attack from  _ both  _ of them. He knows Jeno would be too fast to be caught, and he feels himself relax as the plan solidifies in his head. 

Jeno breaks into a run. 

He passes the card without even a glance. 

Jaemin, realising what Jeno's about to do, pushes the wrist holding the knife — lax from surprise — away from his neck, and rolls to the side. 

Unfortunately, he's not the only one who predicted what was going to happen. Wonshik pulls away too, dodging Jeno's tackle by a hairline and lunging towards the card. 

Jeno, blinded by rage, leaps towards him, but in his haste, he overshoots his distance and is thrown off balance by a slash to his face. 

By the time he gets his bearings back, blood dripping down his face, the man is gone. Jaemin pants heavily on the floor, staring down at his hands, a familiar, cold feeling washing over him. 

_ Disobeyed. Jeno disobeyed.  _ **_Jeno_ ** _ disobeyed.  _

A laugh bubbles out his throat. Even in his worst nightmares, he would've never thought this was possible. Not Jeno, who is always so pliant, always so polite, always so well-behaved. Jeno, who was the star-pupil, the most exemplary trainee that Jaemin has taken in. Whose record was spotless so far, enough so that he has unlocked privileges other pets would've only dreamed of having

And yet, here, for the first time, Jaemin would return from a job empty handed. 

All because of  _ Jeno.  _

White hot rage begins to curl around his chest. He slowly turns his head, to see Jeno clutching his bloody face, staring at Jaemin through wide, wet eyes.

_ Unnecessary injuries. All because of Jeno.  _

He slowly gets up on unsteady feet, and walks towards his  _ pet  _ kneeling on the floor. This is when he would usually give him head scratches or whispered compliments. 

He slaps him instead. 

Jeno flinches, as the hit aggravates his wound even more, and Jaemin wants to scream.  _ How dare he? _

"Nana—"

"Don't," he cuts in, voice hard as steel. "You can't possibly think you can address me like that after blatantly going against my wishes."

Jeno gulps, realizing the position he's in, and slowly, his gaze lowers to the floor. 

Jaemin frowns even harder, heart hammering, a mix of hurt, anger, and disappointment whirling around in his chest like sluggish tar. 

"Now, Lee Jeno, what possible motive could you have had to disobey a  _ direct  _ order from me?" he asks, quiet and deadly. 

"I… I—"

Jaemin lifts his heel up and brings it down on Jeno's head, forcing Jeno's forehead to meet the floor, uncaring of the dirt that would irritate his wound even further. He can't stand to look at Jeno's face anymore. Through it all, Jeno doesn’t make a sound.

"Clear and concise, Lee," he spits out. "Or have you forgotten that too?" 

"I thought you were in danger," Jeno finally says, voice muffled by the ground. 

Jaemin grinds his heel in harder. "There's a reason why  _ I'm  _ the one giving out the orders, and  _ you're  _ the one following them. If you were anyone else, I would have your neck slit right now," he says, hands trembling. "Stay out of my sight from now on, Jeno, otherwise my patience may snap. In the meantime, learn your fucking place, will you?"

Jeno remains silent. Jaemin slowly removes his shoe and slips his hands into his pockets. The cut on his neck stings, though not deep enough to do any actual damage. Normally, Jeno would be on his heels, ready to pamper him for even the slightest injury. 

But now…

Jaemin turns his head back to stare at the body, still kneeling on the floor, before resuming his walk, attempting to look uncaring. 

The worst punishment for Jeno is not starvation, or disfigurement, or disembowelment, or whatever Jaemin's mind could conjure up in his playroom. No, it would be tearing him away from Jaemin, the one he's solely devoted to, the only one he would fold himself down for. Jeno's entire life purpose has become serving him; what would be worse than stopping him from doing just that?

Jaemin doesn't know how he can ever forgive Jeno. Disobedience was a foreign word to him, unlike with his previous pets. He had given his complete trust to the boy, and look where it led him. 

It doesn't matter today. Jaemin would have to return back to the base empty-handed and alone, a coldness in the space Jeno would occupy, both behind him and in his heart.

He wonders for which of them this punishment would be worse.

* * *

Jaemin doesn’t stay for long at the apartment. He leaves the key under the mat - not that anyone would steal anything even if he left the door wide open - and makes quick work of bandaging up his neck. He walks out in record time.

Jaehyun didn’t actually say anything about the failure of the mission - and Jaemin hadn't been able to decipher anything based on his facial expressions save a concerned glint in his eyes. Probably for Jeno, who had been absent for the entire meeting. He must’ve assumed Jaemin got rid of him - which Jaemin doesn’t correct. No one beyond his small circle of friends knows how much he got attached to Jeno.

Thinking about Jeno… hurts. He’s actively trying not to, but everything in his life has moulded to fit Jeno that it’s an impossible task. There’s no Jeno tugging on his sleeves. No Jeno chattering away about the flowers or the dogs, no Jeno trying to smooth the wrinkles in his clothes. There’s no Jeno to force him to eat, to drink, to kiss his cuts and massage his shoulders. 

He brushes the memories away from his mind, climbing up the stairs of the organization dormitories. A couple of low-ranked members catch sight of him and freeze, quite hilariously, and a Jaemin of another day would revel in the way they immediately bow down to him.

Unfortunately, he’s not really in the mood, and he thunders up the stairs without any interruptions - members fleeing from sight when they catch sight of his murderous expression. Finally, he reaches the second highest floor, home to only one door, and punches in the keycode he knows by heart.

The door opens, and he walks into a spacious, yet cozy living room. Clothes scattered on every surface, empty boxes of junk food littering the countertop. Unfortunately, amongst them all, Jaemin was the only one who tried to keep things neat, and ever since he moved out, their dorm has been reduced to… this.

“Oh? Jaemin hyung?” A voice calls out from the sofas, and Jaemin whirls around to find Chenle lounging on the cushions, one hand deep in a bowl of popcorn and the other holding a remote pointed at their hand-me-down television from the 127 unit’s dorm. “What are you doing here?”

Jaemin doesn’t answer, instead walking briskly towards Chenle and collapsing next to him. Chenle pokes at his cheek, curious about the uncharacteristic behavior. 

“Are you alright? Where’s Jeno?”

Jaemin huffs, and Chenle pauses before smiling.

“Ahh… I see…” he says with a giggle, turning back to his movie and snuggling into Jaemin’s side. He allows it, because well… it’s  _ Chenle,  _ how could he not? Jaemin’s the entire reason Chenle was able to deduce what was going on so easily; nights and nights of coaching him has paid off tremendously. He's Jaemin's most successful protege; and despite the constant joking that he favors Jisung amongst them all, Chenle will always hold a special place in his heart. 

"Where are the others?" 

"Jisung is asleep. Haechan hyung and Mark hyung are on a job with the rest of 127, and Renjun hyung went to the training center," Chenle answers, popping a piece of popcorn in his mouth. 

Jaemin hums, and Chenle burrows himself further into his chest. He must've missed Jaemin. 

Jaemin's missed them too. 

Eventually, Chenle falls asleep, heavy on his sternum, snoring lightly. Jaemin stares down, achingly fond and nostalgic for the days when life seemed so much simpler. He thinks back to his own apartment, so cold and lonely until Jeno had come along, and well…

He sighs. It’s impossible not to think about Jeno. He lets his thoughts take over, hands absent-mindedly running through Chenle’s hair, feeling everything and nothing at once.

After what seems like hours, and the sun has begin to dip low into the horizon, the door creaks open and Renjun walks in. Bag slung over his narrow shoulders, he looks as if the weight should crumple him in half. Of course, Jaemin knows better than anyone how false that statement is, and next to Jeno, Renjun is the best fighter he’s ever worked with.

Jeno… again… 

He wonders if the Jaemin of the past would’ve ever known how much Jeno would begin to mean to him. Hell, he even feels  _ bad  _ for going so hard on him, despite knowing that he deserved it. He’s… going soft. The same Jaemin of the past wouldn’t think twice about carving a hole through Jeno’s chest at the first sign of disobedience. And here Jaemin is now, feeling guilty and pathetic, hurt,  _ betrayed. _

His thoughts are interrupted by a tap to his head. Renjun looks down at him in concern, eyebrows furrowed as he stares at the bandages on his neck. 

“Does this have anything to do with why Jeno is currently turning the training center upside down? The place is going to collapse if he keeps going at that rate,” he says, ghosting a fingertip over the cut, frowning when Jaemin flinches.

When Jaemin doesn’t reply, he pauses, studying Jaemin's face. Renjun was never professionally trained to read people’s expressions, unlike Jaemin, Chenle, and Haechan had been, but he has always had a sixth sense when it came to them.

“What exactly happened, Jaemin?”

Jaemin shrugs, and Renjun sighs, giving up the fight. He walks towards his room without a word, and closes the door. It’s not a sign of displeasure or anything; it’s just how Renjun is.

Chenle’s head has migrated onto his lap, and Jaemin leans back against the cushions to try and get some sleep himself. Tomorrow, he’ll worry about his standing with Jeno. Tomorrow, he’ll allow himself to feel the full brunt of emotions he’s been suppressing. Tomorrow, he’ll take up another job and relieve his stress through the sharp end of his blades sinking into flesh.

Tonight, he just wants to sleep.

* * *

One hit after the other, the punching bag swings at an alarming angle, and Jeno has to force himself to stop before he tears open another one. His bare hands ache from the constant abuse, and he finds that the cuts on his knuckles have reopened.

Sweat mingles with the blood caked on his face; he never bothered to clean up the wound, and the medics he had stumbled into didn’t try to stop him upon seeing the glare he shot them. It’s not like his body would succumb to something as measly as an infection anyways. He'll be fine.

He wonders if the cut on Jaemin’s neck is okay. He wonders, had he just  _ obeyed,  _ if he would be by Jaemin’s side right now, taking care of the wound and fretting over him. He wonders if he would’ve been rewarded with a kiss to his forehead. He wonders if he would’ve slept, curled next to Jaemin’s warm body, content and peaceful.

What a foreign emotion. He feels nothing but burning rage; at himself, at Wonshik, but never at Jaemin. He could never be angry at Jaemin, regardless of how much Jaemin can humiliate him, force him down, and berate him. In Jeno’s eyes, Jaemin can do no wrong.

It was all Jeno who had fucked things up. If only he  _ listened.  _ Jaemin was notorious for his brains, every move calculated and precise, from the words that drip from his mouth during his jobs to the wounds he inflicts on his victims when he wants something out of them. If only Jeno hadn’t been blinded by his need to protect, he would’ve followed Jaemin’s orders, and he wouldn’t be left  _ here,  _ abusing the equipment, scaring away everyone who stepped in.

If he had followed Jaemin’s orders, Jaemin’s neck would've been spared with only a graze.  _ Never  _ has Jeno allowed Jaemin to get hurt in a job. Jaemin doesn’t deserve to be tainted with things such as bruises, cuts, or scars. Jaemin should remain untouched, not a hair out of place, not a single drop of blood should reach him. 

Jeno is a failure, through and through. He had failed to protect his owner, failed to do what he was asked to. Jaemin would’ve normally spit on his face and thrown words of burning acid at him. Today however, he got away with only a sting to his face. Was Jaemin really that tired of him? That he wouldn’t even take the time to mark up Jeno’s body as a punishment before soothing him through the pain? 

Jeno wishes he was slapped more, punched, thrown around, locked up. Anything would’ve been better than  _ this.  _ Being forcefully separated from Jaemin… it’s horrible.

Everyone, except Renjun avoids him. Renjun busies himself with target practice, shooting him a curt greeting, eventually packing up and asking Jeno to say hi to Jaemin, before leaving.

It hurts. Every mention of Jaemin feels like a spear right through his heart. Jeno shouldn’t have any emotions left in him to cloud his judgement in the first place, that is how the organization works, and yet….

He shakes his head, trying to clear the thoughts out his head. He needs to figure out a way to get Jaemin to forgive him. He would do  _ anything  _ Jaemin asked of him, but he knows there’s no way Jaemin would even look at him, let alone talk to him now.

He has to figure out something himself. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t sleep that night; it wouldn’t affect him anyways, his body can easily go a week without sufficient rest. He will figure out something, and he will get Jaemin’s forgiveness. Begging on his knees won’t help him anymore. He needs something more.

He thinks back to the mission, as much as it pains him to do so. Jaemin had wanted the security card. Why? So they could get access to whatever organization all these hidden attacks were coming from? 

A crazy idea begins to form in his head, one that he knows he should blow out before it expands, but he humors it anyways. He knows he’s strong, he knows he’s unmatched. What happened today was an outlier. If his head is truly in the game, with nothing to cloud his judgement, nothing to distract him, he knows he’s invincible. It doesn’t matter if it’s one person or a hundred, he would win. 

He also knows that all the bodies in Jaemin’s playroom have succumbed to death, and that Jaemin is getting increasingly agitated and bored without anyone to inflict pain on outside his jobs. 

If he could track down Wonshik, take the security card from him, and take down everyone in the entire base, not only would the attacks stop, but there would also be endless bodies for Jaemin to play with. Endless offerings that Jeno could give in exchange for forgiveness. And if he takes special care to hand over Wonshik to him, the biggest walking sign of Jeno's first failure, then there’s no way Jaemin could stay mad at him.

It’s  _ perfect.  _

* * *

Jaemin stares down at the mangled corpse of what was once a lovely woman, feeling the ghostly touches of her hands all the way down to his thighs. The satin dress shirt he’s wearing is drenched with blood; for once, he’s uncaring of outward appearance. His hair is disheveled, and there isn’t an inch of him left white.

He turns back, to see if Jeno is paying attention to him.

He’s met with nothing.

With a frustrated scream, he plunges the knife right into her face, and the body twitches violently before stilling completely. Panting, he gets up, and catches sight of himself in the mirror hanging on her wall. Such a difference from the usual collected manner he presents himself in. He wonders what Jeno would think of him now. If he would still kiss the ground Jaemin walked upon, or if he would turn away in disgust.

Hah. As if Jeno would ever do such a thing.

But a week ago, Jaemin would’ve said the same thing about him disobeying him. What part of Jeno could he trust anymore? His devotion, his loyalty, his faithfulness, was it all a lie?

The doubts do nothing to ease the ache in his heart. His neck begins to throb, painfully so. All he wants is Jeno besides him at all times again. 

He wonders what Jeno is feeling.

Somehow, he finds himself wishing that it isn’t pain.

* * *

Jeno is ducked behind a crate in the warehouse he has tailed Wonshik to. With a flimsy lock than he could break bare-handed, the warehouse was situated in the middle of nowhere, where no one could stumble into by chance.

It was quite easy to find the man. Jeno has never told anyone the extent of his enhanced senses, but they’re  _ good.  _ Good enough that he can still smell Jaemin on himself even after being apart from him for so long. 

Good enough that, along with Jaemin’s scent, there is a foreign one mingled in, faint and faded. He wants to turn his nose up at it, but unfortunately it’s that one that he has to focus on to find his target. It had taken him a bit of a frenzied rush through the city, but his nose finally found a match to latch onto, it was smooth sailing from there onwards.

It's dark in the warehouse, but Jeno's eyesight is as sharp as ever, and he sees the remains of a body on the ground. There isn't a heartbeat, but there isn't a stench either; it must've been killed recently. 

He frowns as Wonshik stalks towards the body in large strides. His heartbeat is elevated… almost excited. Unlike Jaemin, who loses interest in bodies the moment they're stripped of life and leaves the clean-up to Jeno. 

His mind immediately travels to the worst conclusion, and he finds himself desperately hoping it's wrong. Relief washes all over him when Wonshik only leans down and retrieves a shimmering necklace from the body. 

Of course. Jaemin would always describe them as sleazy old men who only value money and a good fuck. Jeno always hated the implication that Jaemin was  _ the good fuck _ , and while he knows Jaemin usually stuck a knife in them before it got too far, it still bothers him. Jaemin finds his possessiveness cute, but Jeno can't help himself. 

Or well… Jaemin  _ found  _ his possessiveness cute. 

The determination crashes back into him ten-fold at the thought of his owner. 

All of a sudden, the door opens with a loud creak. 

"The lock is broken," a deep voice calls out, and Jeno peeks out to find a tall man with dark hair, his hand clutching a small briefcase.

"This place is ratty as shit, the wind could fling the doors off its hinges if it tries," Wonshik huffs. "Anyways, Minyoung, you got it?" 

"I got it alright. But did you  _ just  _ get the necklace? The fuck kind of system do you have?" 

"At least I got it on time, now come on, hand over the vials." 

Jeno frowns, as his nose twitches. 

There's a quick exchange, the necklace for the briefcase, and Wonshik plops it down on the floor and opens it. 

The smell wafts through Jeno's nose. 

"How'd you empty the last batch anyways?" 

"Coated my knife with some. Ended up slashing some kids. R _ eally  _ hot ones too, like holy fuck. There was one I really wanted to bend over, but ah well. At least I have his face to jack off to."

A snort. "You're  _ pathetic.  _ All that's available to you and you'd rather do it to a mental image?"

"You don't get it, he was  _ hot  _ hot."

The green fluid swirling around in the vial. The salty tang in the air. Coated a knife. Slashed a kid.

_ Jaemin.  _

Fuck.  _ Fuck _ . Not only has Jeno failed to protect Jaemin from getting injured, he also got him  _ poisoned.  _ And he probably has no clue about it. 

_ Fuck.  _

Screw suppressing your emotions. Jeno feels rage bleed through every inch of him. His own body could fight off any poison perfectly fine, but  _ Jaemin.  _

His hands tremble. He's unarmed, and he has no idea what the two men have on them, but he doesn't  _ care.  _ All that matters is Jaemin's safety. All that matters is that he figures out how fast the poison acts, and figures out how to get an antidote.

It's as if the world around him stills. His brain blocks out any unnecessary stimulus, the only sound it processes coming from the two men. He feels his own heartbeat calm down, and he takes in a deep breath. His eyesight focuses on his targets, and his targets only, down to the most miniscule detail.

And then he strikes. 

Minyoung doesn't stand a chance, crumpling to the floor like wet tissue. Wonshik doesn't even get time to react before Jeno hauls him up one-handed against the wall, fist curling into his shirt. Hands fly up to claw at his wrist, but his grip is as solid as steel. 

"What's in those vials?" He asks — no, demands.

"Nothing! Nothing, please let me go!" Wonshik wheezes out, and Jeno slams him against the wall even harder, the warehouse trembling from the force. 

" _ What is it?"  _ He yells out, so unbelievably furious that he wants nothing more than to bash Wonshik’s skull in.

“It’s p-poison…”

Jeno lets the body drop to the ground, and brings his heel to the man’s throat. “ _ Talk,  _ or I’ll crush your windpipe. What does it do?”

Wonshik doesn’t respond, taking a moment to catch his breath. 

Unfortunately, Jeno’s patience is stretched too thin, and he kicks him right across the face. Wonshik's face snaps to the side, and he screams as a tooth gets knocked loose.

“Okay, okay!’ Wonshik gurgles through the blood flooding his mouth. “It’s going to hurt like a bitch for the first twenty-four hours, before it properly sets into your system, and then you get another forty-eight hours before you’re  _ fucked.” _

Indescribable anger takes ahold of him at that moment, with no outlet but the face in front of him. He must show some restraint now, but later, he’ll have his fun with the offerings before he would give them to Jaemin. 

“Where’s the antidote?” Jeno asks, squatting down and grabbing the man by the collar, fist curled to the side threateningly. 

“I- I don’t know... “

Another hit, this time to the nose, and Wonshik's head flies back from the force, another scream as his nose shatters under the impact. 

“I don’t  _ know,”  _ Wonshik cries out, tears streaming down his face, a pathetic husk of the man he posed as before. “M- Minyoung makes it, he’s the one who knows everything."

Jeno huffs, unimpressed, and with one well-placed strike to a pressure point, he knocks the man out. He would drop him at Jaemin’s later, for his owner to play with as he pleases. 

He turns to Minyoung, who's been attempting to get up on unsteady arms. One warning glare, and he stills in his movements. Jeno hums, pleased. 

He’s wondering how to proceed from here. He’s accompanied Jaemin to numerous interrogation sessions, sometimes even having to do the questioning himself, but never has he tried without guidance. He knows, just by a glance, that this man would not be easy to wheedle information out of. Any other day, and he would let Jaemin do the work. Any other situation, and he would beg for Jaemin’s forgiveness before offering the body to him. Jaemin rarely considered interrogations as work; he’d much rather call it leisure.

Of course, now, that isn’t possible, as time is of essence. He must figure out how to do it himself. 

He stares at the man staring back defiantly at him. 

He starts with a finger. 

He finishes with a corpse and a security card tucked firmly in his hand.

* * *

It was quick work from there. It seems rage is quite the good motivator, for every time he closes his eyes, he sees the image of Jaemin, lying still and lifeless on the ground. How dare anyone hurt what’s his? It’s absolutely unacceptable, and it doesn’t matter if it’s ten or a thousand standing between him and the antidote; he  _ will  _ dispose of any obstacle in his way, and he will do it fast.

Nothing stands a chance against him. Not fists, not kives, not guns. He’s drenched in blood, and in his wake, he leaves a mass grave. Security alarms blare, and while they would usually irritate his overactive senses, here, his brain muffles it into a mere hum. He only hears trills of heartbeats as their owners stare up at him in fear. They beg, they plead, but unfortunately for them, Jeno does not take requests from anyone who’s not Jaemin.

He’s merciless as he passes, and when he reaches the safe containing the antidote, he tears the door off his hinges and collects the vials in his hands. 

In his pocket is his phone that Jaemin has kindly allowed him to use. He’s never been explicitly banned from using the organization’s resources by Jaemin, so he calls them in order to ask for help with a massive body transport. They would have to be taken to the organization’s storage facility first, and then Jaemin can handpick whichever ones he wants for his personal playroom. 

When all is carried out and over with, he returns to the warehouse and carries Wonshik's body with him, all the way back to Jaemin's apartment. It's late at night, and the only witnesses who see him are too drunk to ever remember it.

To his dismay, Jaemin isn't home. The worry begins to ebb back into him. He wonders if Jaemin is in pain, if the effects have begun to take over. He knows it's not his place anymore to ask, but he wishes dearly that someone would just send him an update. 

As if the universe hears his pleas, his phone rings. 

"Jeno?" Jisung's voice greets him. 

"Yes, hello," he answers, unsure of where he stands with Jaemin's friends; they  _ seem  _ much more lax about rules than Jaemin but Jeno also knows very well not to underestimate them, for Jaemin treats them like equals. 

"It's Jaemin. He… he got really sick all of a sudden, I know you guys aren't talking but…" 

"He got poisoned," Jeno cuts in, suddenly uncaring of how rude he may come across. "I… I got the antidote, but he won't want to see me. Could you give it to him? And when he wakes up… could you ask him to meet me at the storage facilities?" 

Jisung remains silent for a moment, before sighing. "Jaemin hyung would have your head if he knew you were suddenly going around making demands. I'll be over to grab the antidote, and as a thank you, I'll relay your message."

Jeno can't help but smile. Jisung really is a mini-Jaemin, just perhaps a more awkward, less flirtatious version of him.

He pockets his phone and heads to his room — dusty, as he hasn't used it in a long time. He lies down on old covers, the exhaustion of the past day catching up to him, and soon, he falls asleep. 

* * *

He wakes up to incessant beeping, and he groans as his ears ring in protest. However, the moment he sees the notification, his entire body snaps to attention and he flings the covers off the bed, getting up.

**Renjun**

Jaemin is okay. He says meet him at the storage facility in ten. 

That's barely any time, and he knows Jaemin would dislike it if he showed up looking like a mess, but also that he would be severely displeased if he turned up late. Trust Jaemin to make this as hard as possible on him. 

Within record time, he brushes his teeth, pats down his hair, and throws on fresh clothes. He runs out the door, barely remembering to lock it, and dashes through the streets at a speed he knows he shouldn't show off in public. 

Whatever. He would break any rules if it meant making Jaemin happy. 

He bursts into the facility with barely any regard for the poor guards outside. They let him in without a fuss; he has a reputation now after all, both as the most successful graduate they have ever trained, and as Jaemin's attack dog. 

When he bursts in, it's empty, save for the hundreds of bodies chained to the walls. They're all unconscious, slumped against the floor like limp puppets. 

There is a beep, and the doors open once more. Jeno's heart leaps into his chest the moment his nose detects the smell, and he drops to his knees just as quick, keeping his head hanging low. 

Gentle fingers worm their way through his hair, before tugging harshly at his scalp.

"What's all this?" Jaemin murmurs, and Jeno wants to cry at the sound of the deep, drawling voice he's missed  _ so much.  _

"They're gifts. For you to play with," Jeno answers, staring at Jaemin's polished shoes, feeling so incredibly small underneath Jaemin's shadow. 

The fingers twirl a strand of his hair. "Is that so? Is this puppy's way of asking for forgiveness?"

Jeno can't help but droop a little at the reminder. Somehow, through the chaos of the past few hours, he has forgotten that he had dared disobey his owner. The familiar tendrils of shame and disappointment cloud his mind, and he's surprised to find tears springing to his eyes. 

"Oh," Jaemin coos, mocking, humiliating. "Is puppy crying?" 

_ Oh,  _ how Jeno's missed that tone, the way the fingers in his hair border on being painful, the way his heart leaps at everything Jaemin says. 

Slowly, he nods, and Jaemin laughs, clearly delighted. 

"Little dumb dog. You act so humble now, but what about the next time I take you on a job, hmm? Will you ignore my orders again? Pretend like you're in charge?" Jaemin says. 

It's  _ torture,  _ being unable to look at Jaemin when he's right there. Jeno wants nothing more than to be allowed to make eye contact, to map out every inch of Jaemin in his brain once more, until all he can see is nothing else. 

"No answer?" Jaemin's voice grows cold, and Jeno's eyes snap up involuntarily, and for a brief second, he sees a flash of Jaemin's displeased face before his brain catches up, and he bends down all the way until his forehead meets the floor. 

It's deadly silent. 

Then, "Oh,  _ Jeno,  _ for someone so renowned, you're so useless. Can't follow any orders, can't answer my questions, can't keep his eyes on the ground. Why, I should tie you up with the rest here, shouldn't I?" 

Jeno nods, eager to agree with anything Jaemin says. If that is what would earn him forgiveness, then so be it.

Jaemin laughs, obviously amused by his enthusiasm as he always is. 

Jaemin's shoe pokes at his head and wedges itself under his chin, putting pressure upwards. 

"Look at me, darling," Jaemin drawls out, and Jeno has never reacted faster. His entire being floods with happiness the moment his eyes meet Jaemin's — the familiar dark eyes, the handsome face, the confident posture, the ever-growing smirk. 

"What are you, hmm?" Jaemin asks, and Jeno has to struggle to find an answer in the haze of joy within his mind. 

"A— a dumb dog, sir," he answers quickly, hoping it is satisfactory. 

Jaemin's lips curl upwards. "That's right," he croons. " _ My  _ dumb dog, aren't you? So blinded by his stupidity, his possessiveness, his anger. But look." 

To Jeno's surprise, Jaemin crouches down to his level, and returns his fingers back into his hair, tugging upwards until Jeno straightens up. The same fingers trail downwards, wiping away remnants of tears and caressing the healing slashes on his face. 

"Someone has hurt you. Touched you. Without  _ my  _ permission. I can't have that now, can I? No one is allowed to do anything to you, without asking me first," he says, disdain evident in every word. 

Jeno gulps, wanting desperately to tell Jaemin that the person who did this to him is locked up in his playroom this very second. 

"Speak up, pup, tell me what you want to say." As always, Jaemin is attuned to his thoughts to a scarily perceptive level. 

"I — I left him. In your playroom, as a gift, sir," he whispers, searching Jaemin's eyes for the approval he's been craving for the past minutes. The way Jaemin has been dangling the words in front of his face for a while, but never giving in, it's driving him absolutely mad. 

This time, Jaemin smiles at him, unrestrained and impossibly fond. "Call me Nana, alright?" 

Jeno's heart practically melts into his chest. That's as close to forgiveness as he'll ever get. He's so ecstatic, that he can't contain the way his eyes crinkle into crescents, the way his mouth bursts into a smile. 

Jaemin laughs, this time genuine and loving. He reaches under Jeno's chin and scratches, and when he speaks, it's full of adoration and gentleness.

"Good boy."

* * *

Jaemin sits at his desk, laptop open in front of him, and Jeno on his lap. The numbers he is analysing must be insanely boring for the boy, but Jeno seems perfectly content just curling into Jaemin's warmth and inhaling his scent. 

He sneaks a peek at Jeno's blissed expression, face tucked in his neck. How could he have ever stayed mad at him? With a face like that, and the new plethora of bodies at his disposal, Jeno had driven one hell of a bargain for forgiveness. 

"Darling, will you get off of me?" he asks. "I can't feel my legs anymore."

Jeno's eyes snap open, and his mouth hangs wide. "It hurts?" he inquires, wide-eyed and adorable, a pout forming on his race. Quickly, he takes a seat on the ground next to Jaemin's legs and brings up his rough, calloused hands to massage his thighs. 

Jaemin laughs at the earnestness of it all. Really, his darling pet is too much sometimes. 

"You're  _ such  _ a good boy aren't you?" he says, ruffling Jeno's hair, basking in the glowing grin he receives in return. 

He can't ask for anything better.

* * *

Things return to normal pretty soon. Jaemin takes his sweet time with Wonshik, making Jeno watch, occasionally doing things that make even him feel queasy. It seems Jaemin is as possessive over Jeno as Jeno is to him, clearly offended and disgusted that someone dared touch his pet without his consent. 

He spends his days once more, curled besides, beneath, or on top of Jaemin. He's back to where he belongs; serving Jaemin at all possible opportunities, aiding him whenever he needs, following him to jobs and protecting him from the splatter of blood. He's rewarded every time, with pets and praises, ones that he preens at without fail. 

He becomes a permanent fixture in Jaemin's life once more, going to sleep with him and waking up beside him. Forever by his side, his eternal protector, devoted solely to his role as Jaemin's wonderful, most beloved, most dearest pet.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im not the happiest with this chapter but 😭 anyways this isn't a complete goodbye to the world (exploring jaemins protectiveness over Jeno in return, all the other dreams characters and their dynamics, where the information leak came from) .
> 
> I didn't conclude that last plot point bc I feel like it wasn't necessary for this fic... And timeline wise it hasn't been resolved either. 
> 
> I think this was a v interesting experience since most of my fics are either extremely fluffy or extremely dark (looking at u, just me and you in a world of black and blue). 
> 
> Please do leave comments / kudos, it really helps me be motivated :) 
> 
> Im very busy with exams but I will try to update the love that diverges next!

**Author's Note:**

> I... Dont know what to say :D
> 
> Please leave me kudos and comments if you wish so I can gauge interest! This is a very experimental piece dndjsk


End file.
